Many high end restaurants are touting their dining experiences but, in the end, most are not that special except for the price. Not so El Cielo restaurant in Miami helmed by two star Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos (“Juanma”) whose sensorial prix fixe dinner and beverage journey are seductive, both visually and to the palette. It’s almost theatrical, but not in a flashy way, but rather, in the sense of being a culinary narrative where every dish tells a story. It’s pricey, but a lot less so than other top restaurants, and worth every penny.
Chef JuanMa’s pedigree is impressive to say the least – recognized as one of the 50 best chefs in Latin America, judge on TOP CHEF, first Colombian restaurant in the world to win a Michelin star (Elcielo Washington, D.C.) and now he’s expanding into hotels with his first in Medellin,Colombia. He learned from two of the best – Basque chef Juan Mari Arzak and Iwao Komiyama.
The Experience we sampled at El Cielo restaurant in Miami (Brickell) included two welcome shots that set the stage for the evening, signature snacks, Chocotherapy, Tree of Life, seasonal soup, three main courses, palate cleanser, dessert as homage to Art Basel, coffee field and rose petal. In all, there are 19 small courses. There is also a bar menu with three food and beverage courses.
All of the dishes were works of food art, and some were like culinary theatrical sets. The diverse flavors were like a lexicon of the culinary arts, sometimes simple, and other times complex, and always delicious. I’m digressing from the format of other reviews, not talking about the taste of each dish as it’s too complex. What follows is a photo report of most of the dishes and drinks with a description of the ingredients.
I should also mention that Elcielo has a serene, quietly elegant décor with soft music in the background. There’s also an outdoor terrace which abuts the river. Service is very professional and warm. The staff is all well trained. The menu featured is offered through April. In May there’s a new menu.
One of two welcoming shots inspired by the Colombian coast and the diversity of
its flavors. The bartender has created a clarified drink made of tamarind, mezcal
and aguardiente that has a pineapple chip, covered by tamarind gel and gold paper
on the rim. The suggestion here is to first eat the chip and then follow up with the
shot, salud!
With this snack you are transported to San Andres Island in Colombia with its
most famous dish, the crab empanadas. Accompany it with this sauce of
pineapple and peppers at the same time
This is the bread of the house; inspired by the tree from the Amazon’s “El Indio
Desnudo”, that turns into these same copper tones of the tree trunk during the sunset. On top there’s a
flatbread made of cassava yuca, cheese, paprika and basil; on the side is toasted butter
and an oregano and cilantro sour cream puree.
All Latin American countries have some type of ceviche; in the case of
Colombia, fruits are used with a Kampachi filet from Southern California. Here it’s
covered by different textures of citrus, crispy quinoa and sided by a key lime mayo
and an emulsion of soy sauce aged in whiskey barrels to add onto the ceviche.
And lastly, a leche de tigre of golden berries and drops of achiote oil are added
This is a fusion between high end Italian cuisine and Colombian ingredients.
This is an Italian gnocchi pasta, usually made of potatoes, but in this case it’s
made with cassava yuca, covered by a sweet plantain honey, served over a pecorino
cheese foam and finished with a seasonal* truffle shaving
Here’s the dish that got a lot of comments on my instagram, the chocotherapy. Chocolate
is poured over your hands , you eat the chocolate from your
hands (Yes, Mr. W and I both did it and ate the chocolate) and then they bring a kind of salt
you rub in when you’re done eating it. After that the waiter who
has been at the table throughout the experience, pours warm water over your hands that are over a
bowl to wash them off. At the end of the meal there’s a rose petal they give you for your hands along
with cream to scent them and moisturize them.
As for the main red meat dish of the menu, diners have a lamb chop from the state of Colorado, marinated in a sauce of beer and Colombian spices; inspired by the flavor profile of the traditional Colombian Sunday BBQs . It’s served over a goat cheese sour cream, surrounded by a sawtooth cilantro emulsion, a red wine reduction and on the top an artichoke flower confited in olive oil and beets
Inspired by the Art Basel season in miami, this references one of its
most talked about moments, like when the concept artist Maurizio Cattelan presented his
piece “the comedian”, which was just a banana taped onto a wall and sold for
120000$. In this case it’s a layered dessert consisting of almond cake, tropical
fruits, salted caramel and crème brulee
Here is a truffle of hazelnut and
chocolate, covered by a little butterfly cookie,
inspired by the famous Colombian novel “A
Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia
Marquez
The price is $289 per person which includes one cocktail each. A glass of wine (5 ounce pour) starts at $22 and bottles at $120. There’s also a three course food and beverage pairing at the bar only that’s $138 per person.
El Cielo restaurant in Miami is open for dinner every day but Tuesday, 6 p.m, to 9 p.m. (Sunday to 8 p.m.). 31 S.E.5th Street near Brickell Avenue.
